FR3089667A1 - Method for monitoring the use of resources in at least one cell of a radio communication network. - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for monitoring the use of resources in at least one cell of a radio communication network. In order to make the most of their investments, certain telecommunications operators implement Yield Management solutions. The implemented Yield Management solutions make it possible to dynamically adapt the tariff offers associated with certain services provided with a level of use of resources, or load, of the telecommunication networks concerned. However, such solutions are costly because they require the introduction of numerous pieces of equipment into the communication network and offer unsatisfactory reactivity. The solution which is the subject of the invention consists in collecting information relating to the use of the resources of the communication network for constituent cells of the radio communication network for identified mobile terminals. Consequently, the information relating to the use of the resources thus collected allows a precise application of the Yield Management solutions for each mobile terminal monitored according to its location in the radio communication network. FIGURE 1

Description

Description

Title of the invention: Method for monitoring the use of resources in at least one cell of a radio communication network.

1. Field of the invention

The invention relates to the field of Yield Management applied to telecommunications. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and equipment enabling the implementation of Yield Management solutions in radio communication networks.

1. Prior art and its drawbacks

[0004] In order to make the most of their investments, and in particular the frequency band licenses and the equipment used in radio communication networks, certain telecommunication operators are led to implement Yield Management solutions.

Yield Management, from the English “yield” meaning yield, is a method of tariff management of available capacity. Yield Management aims to maximize the revenue of a service business. Yield Management solutions allow you to identify market segments, assess their potential and set prices. Yield Management solutions also allow you to create rate reduction rules and monitor their effectiveness and implementation. Finally, such solutions manage the available capacity through pricing and a range of services adapted to the specific nature of each customer segment identified.

In the telecommunications field, the implemented Yield Management solutions make it possible to dynamically adapt the tariff offers associated with certain services provided by telecommunication operators through their communication networks according to a level of use of resources, or load, of the telecommunication networks concerned.

For example, when a communication network of a telecommunications operator is at nominal load or when it is overloaded, that is to say when the resources of the communication network are used beyond use nominal, the telecommunications operator applies the contractual pricing of the service offer. When the communication network is underloaded, that is to say when the resources of the communication network are underused, the telecommunications operator can apply a more advantageous tariff for its users for the same service offer in order to to encourage them to use more resources of the communication network during this period of under load. Thus the user experience is improved without additional investment on the part of the telecommunications operator.

In order to be able to implement such Yield Management solutions within a communications network, several solutions are available to telecommunications operators.

[0009] A first solution consists in introducing probes into the communication network in order to monitor the load of the communication network. The data collected by the various probes is then collected and processed in order to determine the state of charge of the communications network.

However, such a solution is costly because it requires the introduction of numerous pieces of equipment, the probes, into the communication network and offers an unsatisfactory reactivity linked to the fact that the data coming from the probes must be processed globally before can be used for Yield Management purposes.

A second solution consists in predicting the periods during which the communication network is loaded or underloaded by means of statistics of use of the resources of the communication network.

Such a solution does not allow real-time knowledge of a state of charge of the communication network. The application of such a solution may lead, for example, a telecommunications operator to apply a tariff for the services provided corresponding to a state of underload of the communication network when the latter is, in fact, in a state of rated load or in overload condition.

[0013] There is therefore a need for a technique for collecting information linked to a state of charge of a communication network making it possible to improve the implementation of Yield Management solutions.

1. Presentation of the invention

The invention meets this need by proposing a method for detecting an underuse of the resources of at least one area to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting a radio communication network, the method being implemented by equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network and comprising the following steps:

- reception, from a billing rules management equipment, of at least one identifier of said area to be monitored, and of an identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored,

- detection of under-utilization of resources in said area,

transmission of the identifier of the area to be monitored to the equipment for managing billing rules, of a parameter indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to monitor.

Such a detection method makes it possible to collect information linked to a state of charge of a communication network making it possible to improve the implementation of Yield Management solutions. In fact, the solution which is the subject of the invention consists in collecting information relating to the use of the resources of the communication network for cells making up the radio communication network and for mobile terminals identified by the telecommunications operator in charge of '' operate the radio communication network. Consequently, the information relating to the use of the resources thus collected allows a precise application of the Yield Management solutions for each mobile terminal monitored according to its location in the radio communication network.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, the determination step consists of a comparison of a value representative of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored with a threshold of under-use of resources.

The underuse threshold is determined by the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network. Such an underuse threshold is specific to each area to be monitored and can, for the same area to be monitored, take different values over time depending on the needs of the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, the resource underuse threshold is received during the reception step.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network receives a new value of the underuse threshold each time it receives monitoring information from the rules management equipment. billing. Thus, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network systematically uses the value of the most recent monitoring threshold to detect an under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, the value representative of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored is an average value of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored.

By calculating an average value of the use of the resources of the area to be monitored, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network ensures that a one-off peak in the use of the resources of the area to be monitored is not transmitted to the billing rules management equipment and is not used in the context of Yield Management.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, the detection of an under-utilization of the resources of said zone triggering the transmission, to a device for managing the mobility of mobile terminals, of a request for obtaining the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the zone to be monitored, the detection method further comprises a step of:

- identification of the identifier of the at least one mobile terminal to be monitored among the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the area to be monitored.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored repeatedly receives information relating to the use of the resources of the area to be monitored as well as a list of all the mobile terminals present in the area to watch. When an underuse of the resources of the area to be monitored is detected, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored browses the list of mobile terminals present in the area to be monitored in order to identify the terminals to watch present in the area to watch.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, it further comprises the following steps of:

- detection of nominal use of resources in said area,

transmission of the identifier of the area to be monitored to the equipment for managing billing rules, of a parameter indicating the nominal use of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to monitor.

When the resources of the zone to be monitored are again used in a nominal manner, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the zone to be monitored informs the management equipment of the billing rules.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, the zone to be monitored comprising at least two constituent cells of the radio communication network, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network detects an underuse of the resources of the area to be monitored when the resources of the at least two constituent cells of the radio communication network included in the area to be monitored are simultaneously underused.

According to a characteristic of the detection method, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network detects a nominal use of the resources of the area to be monitored when the resources of at least one of the two cells making up the radio communication network included in the area to be monitored are used in a nominal manner.

The invention also relates to a method of collecting data relating to an under-utilization of the resources of at least one zone to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting a radio communication network, the method being set implemented by billing rules management equipment and comprising the following steps of:

- reception, from a device for managing the mobility of mobile terminals, of an identifier of at least one mobile terminal present in the zone to be monitored and an identifier of said zone to be monitored,

- determination of parameters for activating the monitoring of said area to be monitored and of said mobile terminal to be monitored according to billing rules applicable to said mobile terminal,

- when the activation parameters fulfill the conditions for activating the monitoring, transmission, to a device for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, of at least one identifier of said zone to be monitored , and the identifier of the at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored,

- reception, from the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, of the identifier of the area to be monitored, of a parameter indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored, and the identifier of said mobile terminal to be monitored,

- determination, based on billing rules, of a pricing policy to be applied to the user of said mobile terminal to be monitored.

The invention also relates to equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of a radio communication network capable of detecting an underuse of the resources of at least one area to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting the network. radio communication equipment monitoring means for:

- receive, from billing rules management equipment, at least one identifier of said area to be monitored, and an identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored,

- detect an under-utilization of the resources of said area,

- transmit, to the billing rules management equipment, the identifier of the area to be monitored, a parameter indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to be monitored.

Such equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored is, for example, equipment of the RCAF (RAN Congestion Awareness Function) type, as defined in the technical specification TS 23.203 published by the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), and modified in order to be able to implement the solution which is the subject of the invention.

The invention also relates to a billing rules management equipment capable of collecting data relating to an under-utilization of the resources of at least one zone to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting a radio communication network. , the billing rules management equipment comprising means for:

- receive, from a device for managing the mobility of mobile terminals, an identifier of at least one mobile terminal present in the area to be monitored and an identifier of said area to be monitored,

- determine parameters for activating the monitoring of said area to be monitored and said mobile terminal to be monitored according to billing rules applicable to said mobile terminal,

when the activation parameters fulfill the conditions for activating the surveillance, transmit, to a device for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, at least one identifier of said zone to be monitored, and the identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored,

- receive, from the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, the identifier of the area to be monitored, a parameter indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to be monitored,

- determine, based on billing rules, a pricing policy to be applied to the user of said mobile terminal to be monitored.

Such billing rules management equipment is, for example, equipment of the PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) type, as defined in the technical specification TS 23.203 published by the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), and modified. in order to be able to implement the solution which is the subject of the invention.

The invention finally relates to computer program products comprising program code instructions for the implementation of the methods as described above, when they are executed by a processor.

The invention also relates to a recording medium readable by a computer on which computer programs are recorded comprising program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the methods according to the invention as described below. above.

Such a recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the programs. For example, the support may include a storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, a USB key, or else a magnetic recording means, for example a hard disk.

On the other hand, such a recording medium can be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which can be routed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means, so that the computer programs it contains can be run remotely. The programs according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from a network, for example the Internet network.

Alternatively, the recording medium can be an integrated circuit in which the programs are incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the methods of the invention mentioned above.

1. List of figures

Other objects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description, given by way of simple illustrative example, and not limiting, in relation to the figures, among which:

[Fig.l]: it schematically represents a network architecture in which the solution object of the invention is implemented,

[Fig.2]: it represents the different steps implemented by the different equipment of the radio communication network involved in the implementation of the solution object of the invention,

[FIG. 3]: it represents equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored according to one embodiment of the invention,

[Fig.4]: it represents a device for managing the billing rules according to an embodiment of the invention.

1. Detailed description of embodiments of the invention

The [fig. 1] schematically represents a network architecture in which the solution object of the invention is implemented.

A radio communication network comprises a plurality of cells each comprising at least one base station (not shown in the figure) to which one or more mobile terminals are attached.

A zone to monitor ZAS is shown in Figure 1 and includes two cells celll and cell2 constituting the radio communication network. The communication network comprises a plurality of zones to be monitored and a zone to be monitored ZAS may include one or more cells according to the needs of the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network.

A mobile terminal MT1 is present in the celll cell and a mobile terminal MT2 is present in the cell2. Of course, several terminals can be present simultaneously in the same cell.

Equipment for managing the mobility of MME mobile terminals located in the radio communication network knows the identifiers of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 present in cells celll and cell2 and transmits regularly, to other equipment present in the radio communication network, the identifiers of the mobile terminals actually present in a given cell.

OAM, administration and maintenance management equipment, located in the radio communication network, repeatedly collects information relating to the level of use of the resources of cells cell1 and cell2, such as example a level of bandwidth usage.

The equipment for managing the mobility of MME mobile terminals and the equipment for managing operations, administration and maintenance OAM communicate with equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored. e-RCAF to which they repeatedly transmit information relating to the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 and to the cells cell1 and cell2 which they have collected.

The equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored eRCAF also communicates with a device for managing PCRF billing rules itself connected to the CORE core network.

In one embodiment of the invention, the equipment for managing the mobility of MME mobile terminals corresponds to equipment of the MME (Mobility Management Entity) type, as defined in series 23 of the technical specifications of 3GPP. .

The equipment for managing operations, administration and maintenance OAM corresponds to equipment of type OAM (Operation, Administration and Maintenance), as defined in series 32 of the technical specifications of 3GPP.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored is an RCAF (RAN Congestion Awareness Function) type of equipment, as defined in the technical specification TS 23.203 published by the 3GPP, and modified in order to to be able to implement the solution which is the subject of the invention. In fact, the equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored e-RCAF is capable of managing information relating to the level of use of resources in the area to be monitored as well as the areas to be monitored ZAS.

Finally, the billing rules management equipment is for example a PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) type of equipment, as defined in the technical specification TS 23.203 published by the 3GPP, and modified in order to be able to put implementing the solution which is the subject of the invention.

The [fig. 2] represents the different steps implemented by the different equipment of the radio communication network involved in the implementation of the solution object of the invention.

In a step E1, the equipment for managing the mobility of the mobile terminals MME sends a first message MSG1 to the equipment for managing the billing rules PRCF informing it of the presence of the mobile terminal MT1 in the celll cell. The transmission of the message MSG1 is for example triggered by the finalization of the procedure for attaching the mobile terminal MT1 to the celll cell base station. Thus, the message MSG1 comprises an identifier of the mobile terminal MT1 and an identifier of the cell cell1.

In response to the MSG1 message, the PRCF billing rules management equipment defines a presence zone or PRA for "Presence Reporting Area" as defined in technical specification TS 23.401 published by 3GPP. Such a PRA presence zone comprises at least the cell1 cell. The PRCF billing rules management equipment then transmits the identifier of the presence zone or PRA and the cells constituting it to the mobility management equipment of the MME mobile terminals, thereby activating the presence zone or PRA. In this first embodiment, the presence zone or PRA corresponds to the zone to be monitored ZAS. In fact, in this first embodiment, the presence zone or PRA and the zone to be monitored ZAS consist of the same cells. The use of presence zones or PRA makes it possible to limit the exchange of signaling messages between the various pieces of equipment involved in the implementation of the process which is the subject of the invention.

In a second embodiment of the method which is the subject of the invention, in response to the message MSG1, the equipment for managing the billing rules PRCF defines the zone to be monitored ZAS. The PRCF billing rules management equipment then transmits an identifier of the zone to be monitored and cells constituting it to the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the zone to be monitored eRCAF.

During a step E2, the equipment for managing the billing rules PRCF determines parameters for activating the monitoring of an area to be monitored ZAS comprising the celll cell and the mobile terminal MT1 to be monitored and verified that the activation parameters thus determined fulfill the conditions for activating the surveillance of an area to be monitored comprising the cell cell1 and the mobile terminal MT1. The activation parameters include among others: the policy of the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network, the subscription conditions of a user of the MT1 mobile terminal. The zone to be monitored ZAS is identified by the PCRF billing rules management equipment as a function of the identifier of the presence zone or PRA or of the celll cell identifier depending on whether the method is executed in accordance with the first or in the second embodiment.

The zone to be monitored ZAS was previously created by the equipment for managing the PRCF billing rules using the information provided by the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network and linked, among other things, to the solution. of Yield Management implemented in the radio communication network. If the monitoring activation parameters are met, that is to say if the user of the mobile terminal MT1 can benefit from the Yield Management solutions implemented by the telecommunications operator operating the network of radio communication, the PCFR billing rules management equipment transmits a message MSG2 to the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF during a step E3. The message MSG2 comprises an identifier of the zone to be monitored ZAS, the identifier of the cell cell1 and an identifier of the cell cell2 constituting the zone to be monitored ZAS, the identifier of the mobile terminal MT1 to be monitored and, where appropriate, a value of an under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored ZAS.

In a step E4, on receipt of the message MSG2, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF associates in a storage unit 302 the identifier of the area to be monitored ZAS and the identifiers of cells cell1, cell2 which compose it with the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored and the identifier of the mobile terminal MT1 to be monitored.

When a second mobile terminal MT2 attaches to the base station of cell cell2 forming part of the zone to be monitored ZAS, steps E1 to E4 are again implemented.

In a step E5, the equipment for managing operations, administration and maintenance OAM transmits a message MSG3 intended for the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e- RCAF. The MSG3 message is sent for example every five minutes and includes information relating to the use of resources in each of the cells cell1 and cell2 constituting the zone to be monitored ZAS. Step E5 is performed repeatedly by the OAM operations management, administration and maintenance equipment as long as it is in operation.

In a step E6, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF compares the values relating to the use of the resources in each of the cells cell1 and cell2 received during the step E5 with the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored.

If the value relating to the use of resources in the cell celll and the value relating to the use of resources in the cell cell2 are both less than the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the zone to be monitored eRCAF determines that the resources of the zone to be monitored ZAS are underutilized. In one embodiment of the process which is the subject of the invention, the value representative of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored is an average value of

Γ use of the resources of the area to be monitored calculated by the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF based on the information contained in the MSG3 message.

By calculating an average value of the use of the resources of the zone to be monitored, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network ensures that a one-off peak in the use of the resources of the area to be monitored is not transmitted to the billing rules management equipment and is not used in the context of Yield Management.

In another implementation of the method which is the subject of the invention, in order to avoid the phenomena of rapid oscillations between two states of under-use of resources and nominal use of resources, the equipment for monitoring the use of resources of the zone to be monitored e-RCAF defines a low crossing threshold and a high crossing threshold around the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored eRCAF then transmits, to the equipment for managing the mobility of MME mobile terminals, a message MSG4 comprising a request for obtaining the identifiers mobile terminals present in the zone to be monitored ZAS during a step E7.

In a step E8, the equipment for managing the mobility of the mobile terminals MME then transmits a message MSG5 comprising a list comprising the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the cells cell1 and cell2 of the zone to be monitored ZAS. The mobile terminals present in a cell are the mobile terminals which are effectively attached to the base stations of cells cell1 and cell2 of the zone to be monitored.

In the first embodiment of the method which is the subject of the invention, steps E7 and E8 are optional and may not be implemented since the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of an area to be monitored e-RCAF maintains a list of mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored and which are present in the area to be monitored ZAS. The execution of steps E7 and E8 makes the information relating to the presence of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored more reliable in the area to be monitored ZAS.

In the second embodiment of the method which is the subject of the invention, steps E7 and E8 are executed repeatedly as long as the resources of the zone to be monitored ZAS are underutilized.

In a step E9, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of an area to be monitored e-RCAF searches the list of mobile terminals present in the area to be monitored ZAS in order to identify the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to monitor present in the area to be monitored using their identifiers and thus confirm their presence in the area to be monitored ZAS.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of an area to be monitored e-RCAF sends, in a step E10, an MSG6 message intended for the equipment for managing the PCRF billing rules. The message MSG6 includes the identifier of the zone to be monitored ZAS, a parameter PSU indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the zone to be monitored ZAS and the identifier of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored.

In a step E11, the PCRF billing rules management equipment determines, according to the policy of the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network, the subscription conditions of the users of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2. and information contained in the message MSG6 which tariff policy to apply to the users of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored.

In a step E12, the equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored e-RCAF compares values relating to the use of resources in each of the cells cell1 and cell2 received in a new message MSG3 repeatedly sent by the operations management, administration and maintenance equipment OAM with the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored. Since the last comparison carried out during step E6, the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the area to be monitored may have changed.

If the value relating to the use of resources in the cell celll or the value relating to the use of resources in the cell cell2 is greater than the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored , the equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored e-RCAF determines that the resources in the area to be monitored ZAS are used in a nominal manner or are over-used.

In one embodiment of the method which is the subject of the invention, the value representative of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored is an average value of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored calculated by the equipment monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored e-RCAF based on the information contained in the MSG3 message.

By calculating an average value of the use of the resources of the area to be monitored, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network ensures that a one-off peak in the use of the resources of the area to be monitored is not transmitted to the billing rules management equipment and is not used in the context of Yield Management.

In another implementation of the method which is the subject of the invention, in order to avoid the phenomena of rapid oscillations between two states of under-use of resources and nominal use of resources, the equipment for monitoring the use of resources of the zone to be monitored e-RCAF defines a low crossing threshold and a high crossing threshold around the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored eRCAF then transmits, to the equipment for managing the mobility of the MME mobile terminals, a message MSG4 ′ comprising a request for obtaining the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the zone to be monitored ZAS during a step El3.

In a step E14, the equipment for managing the mobility of the mobile terminals MME then transmits a message MSG5 ’comprising a list comprising the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the cells cell1 and cell2 of the zone to be monitored ZAS.

In the first embodiment of the method which is the subject of the invention, steps E13 and E14 are optional and may not be implemented since the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of an area to be monitored e-RCAF maintains a list of mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored and which are present in the area to be monitored ZAS.

In the second embodiment of the process which is the subject of the invention, steps E7 and E8 are not optional and are therefore carried out systematically.

In a step E15, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of an area to be monitored e-RCAF searches the list of mobile terminals present in the area to be monitored ZAS in order to identify the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to monitor present in the area to be monitored using their identifiers and thus confirm their presence in the area to be monitored ZAS.

The equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of an area to be monitored e-RCAF sends, in a step E16, an MSG6 message ’to the equipment for managing the PCRF billing rules. The message MSG6 ’includes the identifier of the zone to be monitored ZAS, a parameter PN indicating the nominal use of the resources of the zone to be monitored ZAS and the identifier of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored.

In a step E17, the equipment for managing the PCRF billing rules determines, as a function of the policy of the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network, the subscription conditions of the users of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 and from the information contained in the message MSG6 which tariff policy to apply to the users of the mobile terminals MT1 and MT2 to be monitored.

Depending on the use of resources in the cells celll and cell2 of the zone to be monitored ZAS, steps E6 to El 1 and E12 to E17 are alternately implemented allowing better application of the solutions of Yield Management of the telecommunications operator operating the radio communication network.

When one of the mobile terminals to be monitored MT1, MT2 leaves the cell cell1 or cell2 in which it was present, the equipment for managing the mobility of the mobile terminals MME sends, in a step E18, a message MSG7 to destination of the PRCF billing rules management equipment informing it of the departure of the mobile terminal MT1 from the cell cell. The transmission of the message MSG7 is for example triggered by the finalization of a hand-over procedure of the mobile terminal MT1 from the celll cell base station. Thus, the message MSG7 includes an identifier of the mobile terminal MT1 and an identifier of the cell cell1.

During a step E19, the equipment for managing the billing rules PRCF transmits a message MSG8 to the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF comprising the identifier of the zone to be monitored ZAS, the cell cell identifier and the identifier of the mobile terminal MT1 to be monitored and a parameter P indicating that it is necessary to stop monitoring the mobile terminal MT1.

In a step E20, on receipt of the message MSG8, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF removes the association of the area identifier to be monitored ZAS and the identifiers of the cells celll, cell2 which compose it with the value of the under-utilization threshold S of the resources of the zone to be monitored and the identifier of the mobile terminal MT1 to be monitored from its memory.

When there is no longer any mobile terminal to monitor in the zone to be monitored ZAS, the equipment for monitoring the use of resources in the area to be monitored stops monitoring the area to be monitored ZAS.

The [fig. 3] represents an equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF according to an embodiment of the invention. Such equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored eRCAF is capable of implementing all the steps of the method described with reference to FIG. 2.

An equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF may comprise at least one hardware processor 301, a storage unit 302, an input device 303, a display device 304, a interface 305, and at least one network interface 306 which are connected to each other through a bus 307. Of course, the constituent elements of the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF can be connected using a connection other than a bus.

The processor 301 controls the operations of the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF. The storage unit 302 stores at least one program for the implementation of a monitoring method according to an embodiment of the invention to be executed by the processor 301, and various data, such as parameters used for calculations performed by processor 301, intermediate data for calculations performed by processor 301, etc. The processor 301 can be formed by any known and appropriate hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software. For example, the processor 301 can be formed by dedicated hardware such as a processing circuit, or by a programmable processing unit such as a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit) which executes a program stored in a memory of this one.

The storage unit 302 can be formed by any suitable means capable of storing the program or the programs and data in a manner readable by a computer. Examples of storage unit 302 include non-transient computer readable storage media such as semiconductor memory devices, and magnetic, optical or magneto-optical recording media loaded into a read and write unit .

The input device 303 can be formed by a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse to be used by a user to enter commands. The display device 304 can also be formed by a display module, such as for example a graphical user interface or GUI (for Graphical User Interface).

The interface 305 provides an interface between the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored e-RCAF and the mobility management equipment of the MME mobile terminals. Interface 305 can communicate with the external device via a wireless connection.

At least one network interface 306 provides a connection between the resource usage monitoring equipment of the area to be monitored e-RCAE and the PCRE billing rules management equipment.

Such equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the area to be monitored is, for example, equipment of the RCAE type, as defined in the technical specification TS 23.203 published by the 3GPP, and modified in order to be able to be implemented. the solution object of the invention.

The [fig. 4] represents a device for managing the PCRE billing rules according to an embodiment of the invention. Such PCRE billing rules management equipment is capable of implementing all the steps of the method described with reference to FIG. 2.

PCRE billing rules management equipment can comprise at least one hardware processor 401, a storage unit 402, an input device 403, a display device 404, an interface 405, and at least one interface for network 406 which are connected to each other through a bus 407. Of course, the components of the PCRF billing rules management equipment can be connected by means of a connection other than a bus.

The processor 401 controls the operations of the PCRF billing rules management equipment. The storage unit 402 stores at least one program for the implementation of a data collection method according to an embodiment of the invention to be executed by the processor 401, and various data, such as parameters used for calculations made by processor 401, intermediate data of calculations made by processor 401, etc. The processor 401 can be formed by any known and appropriate hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software. For example, the processor 401 can be formed by dedicated hardware such as a processing circuit, or by a programmable processing unit such as a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit) which executes a program stored in a memory of this one.

The storage unit 402 can be formed by any suitable means capable of storing the program or the programs and data in a manner readable by a computer. Examples of storage unit 402 include non-transient computer readable storage media such as semiconductor memory devices, and magnetic, optical or magnetooptical recording media loaded into a read and write unit .

The input device 403 can be formed by a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse to be used by a user to enter commands. The display device 404 can also be formed by a display module, such as for example a graphical user interface or GUI (for Graphical User Interface). The interface 405 provides an interface between the PCRF billing rules management monitoring equipment and the resource usage monitoring equipment of an e-RCAF zone to be monitored. The 405 interface can communicate with the external device via a wireless connection.

At least one network interface 406 provides a connection between the PCRF billing rules management equipment and the CORE core network.

Such equipment for managing billing rules is, for example, equipment of the PCRF type, as defined in the technical specification TS 23.203 published by the 3GPP, and modified in order to be able to implement the solution which is the subject of the invention. .

Claims (1)

Claims [Claim 1] Method for detecting an underuse of the resources of at least one area to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting a radio communication network, the method being implemented by equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network and comprising the following stages of: - reception, from a billing rules management equipment, of at least one identifier of said area to be monitored, and of an identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored, - detection of under-utilization of resources in said area, transmission of the identifier of the area to be monitored to the equipment for managing billing rules, of a parameter indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to monitor. [Claim 2] Detection method according to claim 1, in which the determining step consists in comparing a value representative of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored with a threshold of under-use of resources. [Claim 3] Detection method according to claim 2 in which the resource underuse threshold is received during the reception step. [Claim 4] Detection method according to claim 2, in which the value representative of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored is an average value of the use of the resources of said area to be monitored. [Claim 5] Detection method according to claim 1 characterized in that, the detection of an under-utilization of the resources of said zone triggering the transmission, to a device for managing the mobility of mobile terminals, of a request for obtaining the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the zone to be monitored, the detection method further comprises a step of: - identification of the identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored among the identifiers of the mobile terminals present in the area to be monitored. [Claim 6] Detection method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: - detection of nominal use of resources in said area, transmission of the identifier of the area to be monitored to the equipment for managing billing rules, of a parameter indicating the nominal use of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to monitor. [Claim 7] Detection method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the zone to be monitored comprises at least two constituent cells of the radio communication network, the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network detects an underuse. resources of the area to be monitored when the resources of the at least two constituent cells of the radio communication network included in the area to be monitored are simultaneously underused. [Claim 8] Detection method according to claim 7 in which the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network detects a nominal use of the resources of the area to be monitored when the resources of at least one of the two constituent cells of the radio communication network included in the area to be monitored are used in nominal fashion. [Claim 9] Method for collecting data relating to an under-utilization of the resources of at least one zone to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting a radio communication network, the method being implemented by equipment for managing billing rules and comprising the following stages of: - reception, from a device for managing the mobility of mobile terminals, of an identifier of at least one mobile terminal present in the zone to be monitored and an identifier of said zone to be monitored, - determination of parameters for activating the monitoring of said area to be monitored and of said mobile terminal to be monitored according to billing rules applicable to said mobile terminal, - when the activation parameters fulfill the conditions for activating the monitoring, transmission, to a device for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, of at least one identifier of said zone to be monitored , and the identifier of the at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored, - reception, from the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, of the identifier of the area to be monitored, a parameter indicating the underuse of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to be monitored, - determination, based on billing rules, of a pricing policy to be applied to the user of said mobile terminal to be monitored. [Claim 10] Equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of a radio communication network capable of detecting an underuse of the resources of at least one zone to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting the radio communication network, l '' means of monitoring means for: - receive, from billing rules management equipment, at least one identifier of said area to be monitored, and an identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored, - detect an under-utilization of the resources of said area, - transmit, to the billing rules management equipment, the identifier of the area to be monitored, a parameter indicating the under-utilization of the resources of the area to be monitored and the identifier of said mobile terminal to be monitored. [Claim 11] Billing rules management equipment capable of collecting data relating to an under-utilization of the resources of at least one zone to be monitored comprising at least one cell constituting a radio communication network, the equipment for management of billing rules including means for: - receive, from a device for managing the mobility of mobile terminals, an identifier of at least one mobile terminal present in the area to be monitored and an identifier of said area to be monitored, - determine parameters for activating the monitoring of said area to be monitored and said mobile terminal to be monitored according to billing rules applicable to said mobile terminal, when the activation parameters fulfill the conditions for activating the surveillance, transmit, to a device for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, at least one identifier of said zone to be monitored, and the identifier of at least one mobile terminal to be monitored present in said area to be monitored, - receive, from the equipment for monitoring the use of the resources of the radio communication network, [Claim 12] [Claim 13] the identifier of the zone to be monitored, a parameter indicating the underuse of the resources of the zone to monitor and the identifier of said mobile terminal to monitor, - determine, based on billing rules, a pricing policy to be applied to the user of said mobile terminal to be monitored. Computer program product comprising program code instructions for implementing a method according to any of claims 1 to 8, when executed by a processor. Computer program product comprising program code instructions for implementing a method according to claim 9, when executed by a processor.